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Strict Standards: Declaration of Walker_Comment::end_el() should be compatible with Walker::end_el(&$output) in /home/dvaadmin/physicians.truthaboutdialysis.com/wp-includes/comment-template.php on line 0Truth About Dialysis » Home hemodialysis

Archive for Home hemodialysis

A 2007 study aimed at determining renal patients’ attitudes toward home dialysis finds that home dialysis patients are more compliant when they are able to work their treatments in around their daily schedules.

“During the initial period of adjustment to treatment, many participants learned their need for treatment by experimenting with the therapeutic prescription. They then used their knowledge of the therapy to alter their treatment regime to maintain their normal lifestyle. Having modified their therapeutic prescription, participants’ motivation to continue meeting the continuing demands of the treatment regime was influenced by their individual life situation, including their relationships, work and personal attitudes towards life.”

A 2007 study shows that “compared with the rope-ladder technique, the buttonhole method offers the advantage of an easier cannulation procedure with less bad sticks.” Thirty-eight patients with native arteriovenous fistulas were observed over an 18-month period. The research team monitored a number of things including cannulating ease, pain, bleeding and number of bad sticks.

Some of you may have noticed that DaVita’s home dialysis physician website got a make-over. That’s because all of DaVita’s home dialysis services are now part of DaVita.com. The new and improved DaVita.com/Home/Physicians has everything you need to learn more about home dialysis and DaVita.

A 2007 comparison of home hemodialysis and in-center hemodialysis shows that home dialysis is “a viable dialysis option for end-stage renal disease patients capable of self/partner-administered dialysis.”

The study was conducted using 32 dialysis patients at 6 different U.S. centers over an 18-week period.

Some doctors have a lot of worries when it comes to putting their patients on home dialysis. They worry that their patients are too sick. They worry that their patients won’t know what to do. They worry that they won’t see their patients. And the worries go on and on.

But what doctors need to realize is that their patients are not as worried. Patients believe they are smart enough to learn to do home dialysis. They feel empowered to take better care of themselves on home dialysis. They even stay more connected with their doctors as they begin to feel better and take control of their health.

If you don’t believe me, check out what patients have to say about home dialysis.

If you’re like most doctors, you may think that offering home hemodialysis as an option to your patients means you could potentially lose control of your patients and put their care in someone else’s hands. However, this is not true.

Home dialysis patients are not required to change nephrologists. DaVita values partnerships with each patient’s personal physician. In fact, DaVita manages every patient’s care as a team effort with the physician.

Your patients will have monthly in-center visits with you, their nurses, their renal dietitians and their social workers to make sure everything is going well. During these monthly check-ups, you will have a chance to modify your patients’ dialysis treatments if needed, prescribe diet regulations and medication and manage their ongoing medical care. If you would like to see your patients more than once a month, you can simply schedule additional appointments with them.

“The risk of patient loss is greater for physicians who choose against offering home hemodialysis as an option for their patients,” Dr. Michael Aragon, a nephrologist, said.

Most patients on home dialysis report feeling better than they did when they were on in-center dialysis. Among their reported results are more energy, increased appetite, lower blood pressure, reductions in medication(s), better hemoglobin values and the ability to continue working.

They also experience all the convenience, comfort and freedom that comes with dialyzing at home.

“I have successfully dialyzed patients at home that I previously thought were ‘too sick.’ With the right support system, my ‘too sick’ patients did great,” Dr. Joel Glickman, a nephrologist, said.

Busy nephrologists often see home dialysis as something that won’t fit into their schedules. This is a common misconception.

“My staff was pleased with how well these patients integrated into our PD program, allowing us to provide more options to patients,” Dr. Robert Provenzano, a nephrologist, said.

DaVita’s home dialysis program provides full services for home patients, including training and monthly care team assessments. Physicians will see their home hemo and/or PD patients on a monthly basis and work seamlessly with the care team on each patient’s progress. In addition, they will receive monthly patient and clinical outcome reports. They will also receive quarterly DaVita Quality Index (”DQI”) reports to help them follow their patients’ progress and to assess and compare outcomes.

Paper reports are supplemented by the Doctors Using Clinical Information (”DUCK”) custom clinical on-line information system. DaVita at Home is committed to supporting physicians, and we respect their busy schedules.

DaVita presonalizes training programs to help patients understand how to perform individual treatments, making it easy for your patients to learn to dialyze at home. During training, your patient will learn all the skills and procedures needed to regularly perform treatments independently at home. Plus, DaVita representatives are around 24/7 for support.

“Many more patients can learn to dialyze than we give them credit for,” Dr. Stephen Fadem, a nephrologist, said. “The training process was easier than we expected.”